The crowdsourcing challenge is open to the public and designed to generate the type of innovative thinking that will help close the skills gap and that reflects the shift toward competency-based hiring among employers seeking job-ready applicants. In addition to monetary awards from Lumina of up to $10,000, the winners will have the opportunity to present their idea at ASAE's Great Ideas Conference, March 5-7, 2017, in Orlando, FL.

ACE's Center for Education Attainment and Innovation has led the national movement to recognize and promote adult learner programs in higher education. The Council’s College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT®) connects workplace learning with colleges and universities by helping students gain access to academic credit for formal training taken outside traditional degree programs.

"Embracing multiple pathways and offering a more coherent system that recognizes skills demonstrated in both academic and industry contexts is critical to ensuring that our students attain the credentials they need to be successful in today's workplace," said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad. "Using digital credentials to surface skills learned in the classroom and through industry experience can help bridge the gap between education and the world of work. We are eager to bring to light innovative models and ideas that help learners get credit for meaningful knowledge and abilities observed across learning and professional environments."

Other ACE News

The Washington Post and Inside Higher Ed cover the Senate’s failure to pass legislation protecting Dreamers . . . The New York Times reports that Senate leaders are reconsidering the ban on Pell Grants for prisoners . . . The Detroit Free Press...

ACE announced today that Judith S. White, president and executive director of HERS, will receive the 2018 Donna Shavlik Award. The award will be presented at ACE2018, ACE’s 100th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

Higher education, policy, and business leaders from eight countries including the United States met in Washington, DC, earlier this month to share lessons, policies, and promising practices to improve postsecondary outcomes for underserved students.